“Down” was released as the lead single from the Kooks’ fourth studio album, Listen.
The British indie-rock band released “Down” through Virgin EMI Records on April 18, 2014. It introduced the sound of Listen, an album that blended the Kooks’ guitar-driven style with funk, soul, hip-hop influences, and more improvisational production. The track was written by frontman Luke Pritchard with producer and musician Inflo.
Listen followed the Kooks’ 2011 album Junk of the Heart and marked a shift in the group’s creative approach. “Down” was the first song released from the album and arrived before the record’s September 2014 release. It reached number 40 on the UK Singles Chart.
A common mix-up is “Around Town,” another Listen single released later in 2014. Because it received substantial promotion and radio play, some listeners remember it as the album’s first single, but “Down” was the lead release.